Helpful Driving Information

TYPES OF COLLISIONS

A head-on collision occurs when your vehicle hits head-on to another vehicle or a solid object. This is very dangerous and could be lethal at high speeds. Air bags and seat belts are the best protection. If you slow down the force of impact will be less.
Some of the causes of such a collision are unsafe passing and driving on the wrong side of the road.

TYPES OF COLLISIONS

Side collisions happen when another vehicle hits you from the side. The impact from side collision will be highest when the vehicle hits you at the driver or passenger side. In such a case, try to adjust so that you are not hit at the passenger or driver sides.

TYPES OF COLLISIONS

Rear-end collisions occur when a vehicle hits you from the back. These are common when the vehicle behind you is driving too close to your car. Avoid sudden moves and stops so that the vehicles behind you have time to react. If you stop unexpectedly and the car behind you hits you it could be your fault.
Serious pile-up collisions happen when drivers don’t slow down and follow too closely on slippery roads.

TYPES OF COLLISIONS

Rollovers happen when your vehicle trips over to its side or top. Vehicles going at excessive speeds have a potential to roll over, especially when the driver jerks the steering wheel suddenly.
Always follow the advisory speed sign for the highest speed you should travel around the curve. Taller and narrower vehicles are more likely to roll over. Seat belts protect you in case of a rollover.

ESCAPE TECHNIQUES

When it looks like a collision may happen, many drivers panic and fail to act. In some cases they do act, but in ways that do not help to reduce the chance of the collision. There is almost always something you can do to avoid an impending collision or reduce its severity. In attempting to avoid a collision, drivers have three options:
1. Stop
2. Turn (or steer away)
3. Speed up

ESCAPE TECHNIQUES
Stopping Quickly

In order to stop, you have to use your brakes effectively.
Most new vehicles have an Antilock Braking System (ABS) which will allow you to stop without skidding. Consult the vehicle owner's manual for how to use the ABS.

ESCAPE TECHNIQUES
Stopping Quickly with ABS

Press on the brake pedal as hard as you can and keep pressing on it firmly.

• You might feel the brake pedal pushing back when the ABS is working. DO NOT let up on the brake pedal. The ABS system will only work with the brake pedal pushed down firmly. Never pump antilock brakes.
  

ESCAPE TECHNIQUES
Stopping Quickly with Conventional Brakes:

• Apply the brakes as hard as you can without locking them. You can cause the vehicle to go into a skid if you brake too hard.
• If the brakes lock-up, you will feel the vehicle start to skid. Quickly let up on the brake pedal.
• As soon as the vehicle stops skidding, push down on the brake pedal again. Keep doing this until the vehicle has stopped.
• In case of brake failure, pump the brake pedal quickly.

ESCAPE TECHNIQUES
Turning Quickly

In most cases, you can turn the vehicle to avoid a collision quicker than you can stop it. When you don't have enough room to stop, you may have to steer away from what's ahead. It’s very important, however, not to oversteer, which may increase risk of skidding or rollovers.

ESCAPE TECHNIQUES

How to turn quickly and safely:

• Do not apply the brake while you are turning. It's very easy to lock your wheels while turning. If that happens, you may skid out of control or cause too much weight transfer and rollover.
• Do not turn any more than needed to clear whatever is in your way. The more sharply you turn, the greater the chances of a skid or rollover.
• Be prepared to countersteer—that is, to turn the wheel back in the other direction, once you've passed whatever was in your path.

ESCAPE TECHNIQUES

Keep both hands on the steering wheel. In order to turn quickly, you must have a firm grip on the steering wheel with both hands. It is best to have your hands at the 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock positions. This will keep your wrists and forearms out of the main impact area of the air bag, reduce weight transfer, and is generally more comfortable.

ESCAPE TECHNIQUES
Speeding Up

Sometimes it is necessary to speed up to avoid or lessen impact forces in a collision. This may happen when another vehicle is about to hit you from the side or from behind and there is room to the front of your vehicle to lessen or change the impact area. Be sure to slow down once the danger has passed.
Always, try to maintain a safe following distance from the vehicle ahead and position yourself to see the bigger picture.

HAVE AN ESCAPE ROUTE

By maintaining a good visual lead, you are able to identify and take action early so you can adjust your speed and space. The main objective is to maintain the greatest possible space around your vehicle.

AVOID MULTIPLE HAZARDS

Sometimes there will be dangers on both sides of the road. You can lessen these multiple hazards by:

• Identifying all potential hazards early. Rate the hazards on the level of threat to your safety.
  
• Predicting what might happen or go wrong.
  
• Adjusting your speed and position to make sure you reduce risk.
  
• Planning escape routes and courses of action before you are faced with a dangerous situation.

AVOID MULTIPLE HAZARDS

Learn to compare potential threats. For example, there may be parked cars to the right and oncoming cars to the left. In such cases, the best thing to do is to steer a middle course between the oncoming cars and the parked cars. If one danger is greater than the other, give the most room to the biggest threat.
Suppose there are oncoming cars to the left of you and a child on a bike to the right. The child is more likely to make a sudden move. Therefore, give him or her the extra space. It may mean moving closer to the oncoming cars and slowing to reduce risk.